Deep litter shavings- yay or nay!

McNally

McNally

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I have always considered deep littering to be a vile and disgusting thing to do!
but... my daughters pony is very very clean, we could literally fit a weeks worth of mucking out into my regular size barrow and it seems pointless digging the whole bed every day just for the amount of wet we get out. I also only need to add half a bale of shavings per week.
I figured we would try deep litter, but Does it not smell? and wont the shavings under the banks get mouldy or musty. How healthy is is for the horse?
I know lots of people do it so it cant be that bad but its just one of those things i have always turned my nose up at!
 
Its certainly less time consuming deep littering. We use Miscanthus at our yard as its bio-degradable like straw. Initially I put down 8 bales, then during the week all I do is poo pick, rake it over lightly, then once a week I add another bale. His bed always looks inviting and never smells or is dusty. Come the spring in a few weeks when he is turned out I will have a massive dig out!
 
deep littering IF DONE PROPERLY does not smell or go mouldy/musty, the trick to it is to skip out as much and as often as you can to keep the top clean. The bed does have to be deep though, a shallow bed just will mix through. You can take out some of the wet out probably once a week if theyre pretty clean to save such a huge dig out at the end. Easibed is by FAR the best for it as it doesnt 'move' and stir through. This is a deep litter bed for a racehorseshowing how they can be kept clean!:
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Lots of people I know do it and it works fine. You could always try for a couple of weeks and if it gets too smelly or you don't like it, then dig it up and start again.

Some people on my yard deep litter with a mixture of Aquamax and shavings. They put a layer of Aquamax down to absorb all the wet etc, then a layer of shavings for the top bed. The droppings and soiled shavings are taken out daily and fresh shavings put down in place, but the Aquamax layer is not interfered with at all. My friend does this and she says it works a treat.

Lucky you - my horse is disgusting. I have to dig the wet out daily and totally lift his bed every couple of days. I use three bags of shavings a week!
 
I sort of deep litter shavings.
I don't touch the banks through the week and dig them out properly on saturdays.
The rest of the bed gets skipped out am and a full muck pm.
A lot quicker and easier, it doesn't smell and it saves on shavings a little.
 
The shaving soak up a lot of the smell and wet if you dig out once a week and put a bale down you shouldn't be getting that very dark red hairdye smelling patch in the middle where she wets it will just go orange

I deep litter on staw and it stinks when I dig out once a week but there is no way I can afford shavings :-(
 
I've been deep littering on shavings since Christmas and it's been a revelation! I was digging out loads of wet every day and it was costing me a fortune. Pony has moved into a stable that has better drainage and I decided to deep litter. I skip out the droppings and rearrange the bed in the morning and pull a little bit in off the banks to go on top. In the evening I skip out and sweep back. Once a week I chuck all the bacnks up and take it back to the wet base which I then scrape with a plastic shovel and take about a barrow of wet out (I scrape but don't dig!). Then I mix the banks thoroughly and drag it all in to make a flat bed. Then I add a bale of shavings which I chuck up to make new banks.

I think I've got it down to a fine art now and his bed looks the best it has in ages - I think the key is to start with a good bed and keep it thick.
 
Definite 'yay', especailly if the pony is so clean and dry.

I have deep littered mine on shavings for as long as a I can remember, and have one horse on a bed that has been down for 2 winters now, but still looks and smells fresh. It takes me 5 mins to muck out and gives the horses a lovely deep, warm bed that never moves so no risk of capped hocks etc.

I only remove the top layer of wet when entirely necessary as you can disturb the bed otherwise, and add 1/2 bale shavings approx twice a week.

The only thing I dislike about them is when you decide on a spring clear, out as the work is so backbreaking, but I am lucky to have a liveries daughter who is happy to be paid to do the job for me.....!
 
we deep litter on shavings and remove the wet once a week , she is a 15-2 , as someone else said remove the wet turn the banks into the middle and top up the edges with a new bale we only use a bale a week and she has a lovely clean deep dry bed
 
Thaks, will give it a go! I'm used to mucking out a bit of a pig this is new to me! seems pointless doing it really!
 
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